Off topic, but of importance. Geert Wilders is the Dutch politician that presented the Fitna clips, showing the fanatical Muslims at work. For anyone that has not yet seen the clip, I would strongly advise watching it, and to download it for future reference. This is one of the few succesfull European right-wing political movements that are in direct opposition to the multi-culture disease that has gripped the Western World, and are going to come under fierce attack from the liberals to prevent Europe  being swamped by Africans and Muslims.

There is a strong government movement afoot that is going to seriously curtail what can be watched on U-Tube. At present, the change is to prohibit the music and film clips that are available, but once this ammendment is in place, there will be little to prevent other clips and sites being shut down.

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(Reuters) - Dutch anti-Islamist leader Geert Wilders scored major gains in local authority polls Thursday, making him a serious challenger for power in a June national election, preliminary results showed.

World

In the first test of public opinion since the collapse of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende’s coalition government last month, Wilders’s Freedom Party (PVV) led in the city of Almere and was second in The Hague.

The results came on top of an opinion poll showing that the PVV, which campaigns against Muslim immigration as its main platform, would win the most seats — 27 in the 150-member Dutch parliament — in the June 9 election.

That would make it tough for Balkenende’s Christian Democrats, projected to win one seat less, to forge a strong coalition without Wilders. Months of talks between parties, and the resulting policy vacuum, could threaten a fragile economic recovery and cast doubt on the scope of planned budget cuts.

The popularity of Wilders, who compares Islam to fascism and the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” has dented the image of the Netherlands as a country that has often portrayed itself in the past as a bastion of tolerance.

The PVV has been pitching its policies to a nation of 16 million that is turning increasingly inward as the economy struggles and social tensions rise. There are nearly 1 million Muslims in the Netherlands.

“The leftist elite still believes in multi-culturalism, coddling criminals, a European super-state and high taxes,” Wilders told cheering supporters at a rally in Almere after polling ended Wednesday.

“But the rest of the Netherlands thinks differently. That silent majority now has a voice,” he said.

Andre Krouwel, professor of political science at Vrije University in Amsterdam, said: “You can see there’s a lot of discontent in the electorate. Clearly Wilders is going to use these results as a stepping stone for national elections.”

Balkenende, now heading a caretaker government, saw his coalition collapse on February 20 after his center-right Christian Democrats failed to persuade their Labor Party partners to extend the Netherlands’ military mission in Afghanistan.

He has said the nearly 2,000 Dutch troops serving with NATO in Afghanistan were now likely to withdraw this year as planned.

The collapse was the fourth for a cabinet led by Balkenende in eight years.

In Almere, the PVV won 21 percent of the vote to Labour’s 18 percent, the preliminary results showed. In The Hague, the PVV had 8 seats — second to Labor with 10 seats. Experts put turnout in the local elections at 56 percent.

Labor, led by former Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos, appeared to have benefited from its stance over Afghanistan.

“The Labor Party is back,” Bos told supporters. “We were declared dead and buried, but with our struggle, humility and ideals we have come back.”

Wilders, who has faced death threats, was under tight security at his rally Wednesday.

People had to pass through metal detectors and security officers patted everyone down for concealed weapons.

“There are many Muslims who want to take part in the community, but there is a percentage who want to make problems,” said bus driver Theo Verstappen, 53.

“Those who make problems are not being dealt with properly. It’s not too much to ask that people who come here share our values.”

(Additional reporting by Ben Berkowitz, Gilbert Kreijger and Harro ten Wolde)

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Posted by Grumbleguts

Greyling is at present resident in Russia, and has kindly contributed this post.

“The Boers embodied the spirit and tactics of Russia’s Cossacks. Mounted like them, they covered long distances, attacked unexpectedly and caught the enemy by surprise.” – James Hillestad.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called the Boers the “most rugged, virile, unconquerable race ever seen upon the earth”

“I am wholly pre-occupied with the war between England and the Transvaal. Every day I read the news in the British newspapers from the first to the last line……I cannot conceal my joy at Boer success.” – Tsar Nicholas in a letter to his sister in 1899.

During my wanderings in Russia, I came across an interesting group of people known as Cossacks who seemed to know more about Boer history and culture than the average Joe. Upon further contact with these folk I discovered many little known facts concerning the intertwining of our respective histories.

The Cossack involvement on a volunteer basis in the Anglo Boer war hasn’t really received the attention it deserves and neither has the consequences of that shared history.

The Cossacks during the reign of Tsar Nicholas felt obliged to assist the Boer struggle in what they saw as an unjust war between good and evil. They still do, as they did then, admire the Boer fighting spirit and closely follow what is happening in S.A today.

Tsar Nicholas wanting to assist the Boers, initially intended to attack the British in India by mobilizing his troops in Turkestan forcing the British to have to stretch their limited resources. He was also intent on supporting the Boer forces in S.A with soldiers and weaponry. This however failed miserably when the French and Germans refused to back the attack officially in fear of the British. Instead, citizens of Russia took it upon themselves to volunteer for the Boer cause. The Tsar provided official field hospitals and an unofficial blind eye to Russian involvement in the fighting.  It is an interesting rumour that Winston Churchill was man-handled by Cossacks during the Boer conflict and got quite badly roughed up by them before been handed over to the Boer forces in Pretoria. The Cossacks today tell me that this is why they believe Winston Churchill vindictively sent 40 000 Cossacks to their death at the end of the 2^nd W.W. by handing them over to the Bolshevic communists. (These Cossacks were anti-communist and had sided with Germany.)

Now you are probably already wondering, well what is his point in all this rambling on about Cossack and Boer soldiers of the past? Well my simple answer to that is that history has a strange way of repeating itself.

At present the Cossack movement is fully revived as an independent and powerful fighting force within the Russian Federation. Russian President Putin took steps to reinstate the Cossacks as an official part of the Russian armed forces. They have been given many privileges and once again occupy the respected and well earned rank of honour as protectors of freedom.

I have spent some time with them and enjoy sharing ideas with them- both military and otherwise. They take great pride in their horsemanship and love of freedom.  They were most disappointed when I failed to ride one of their more fearsome looking stallions and opted for a mare instead. A bottle of Vodka was lost in a bet that I would fall off and great fun was had by all. It seems that we have made contact on friendly terms once again between our people. Let us hope we will never have to take them up on that friendship again.

Traditionally the Cossacks supplied their own weapons and horses in affairs concerning war and normally took payment for their services in the form of land and a tax free existence within the land that they protect. That tradition is still very much a part of their constitution even though times have changed. They are a rural people and love the wide open spaces, as well as music and dance of their own particular character. I find them excellent hosts but serious soldiers and most definitely a formidable force to contend with. Their party prowess is legendary and I have to say that I felt totally at home among them. My only complaint was the short stirrups and high cramped saddles that they use when riding. ( I still prefer the Boer style.)

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Posted by Grumbleguts on behalf of Greyling.